A railcar generally provides a pair of side frames on each side having downwardly opening jaws. A bearing adapter is vertically movable within the jaw and rests on a bearing mounted on a railcar axle carrying a wheel of the railcar. Typically, a bearing for a railcar axle fits around a journal at the end of the railcar axle where it is mounted between a backing ring assembly and an end cap.
The railcar adapter acts as a rigid connection between the bogie frame and the railcar axle. Due to limited bearing support surface, the load applied on the bearing by the railcar adapter is not well distributed on the bearing, notably on the rolling elements when the bearing is of the rolling bearing type. This results in wear on the inner surface and the outer surface of the railcar adapter, as well as in failure of the bearing.